


Thaumaturgy

by HedonistInk



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Isekai, M/M, Strangers to Lovers, Subways, jean dies and is transported to another world where he's not dea, oni!Marco, traveling companions to lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:53:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21949138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HedonistInk/pseuds/HedonistInk
Summary: The forest was usually peaceful, a good place to clear one's head. At least, for Marco it had always been. His day had started out as unremarkable as any other, until Jean Kirschtein quite literally derailed his life.
Relationships: Marco Bott/Jean Kirstein
Comments: 5
Kudos: 17
Collections: JeanMarco Gift Exchange 2019





	Thaumaturgy

**Author's Note:**

  * For [pilindiel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pilindiel/gifts).



> Well here we go with another year of JMGE. This year I was lucky enough to get pilindiel's lovely prompt request for an isekai AU where Jean is transported into a magical world and it's up to Marco to show him the ropes. Honestly, I'm so in love with this idea and this universe and I have a _million_ more ideas so I fully expect I'll end up coming back to this universe to write more about it, but I hope you enjoy reading the start of these two's adventure together!
> 
> Also slight trigger warning for Jean getting hit by a subway car in the opening scene, but it's okay, he's not dead, promise!

> **Thaumaturgy:** (n.) Thaumaturgy is the capability of a magician or a saint to work magic or miracles. It is sometimes translated into English as wonderworking. A practitioner of thaumaturgy is a "thaumaturgus", "thaumaturge", "thaumaturgist" or "miracle worker". 

The forest was usually peaceful, a good place to clear one's head. …Well, as long as you avoided its dangers, at least. But as long as you knew what to avoid and what to look out for, it was peaceful. A quiet calm that Marco generally found as a good place to find some balance, to tune out the noise and keep instincts sharp. Which was what he had been intending on spending his day doing, taking a side-route out of his way between stops. 

At least until Marco heard a… rather frantic scream from somewhere off the path. He turned immediately to head in the direction of the sound, movements quick but cautious for any threat that had _caused_ that scream. Closing in he heard sobbing and then movement. Only one person's movement but they were… talking to themselves? The figure came into view and Marco tilted his head curiously, pausing to lean against a nearby tree and just… watch. 

The stranger seemed disoriented, turning to look back at their own backside, much to Marco's bemusement. Taking in the tail and ears, he was fairly certain the figure was Vai. Which meant they were likely female as their race was known to be very secretive with their males, although this one didn't seem to have much by way of… feminine shape. On the other hand, he was getting quite a good view of the person's stomach from the cropped top so he wasn't exactly going to complain about either way. Marco shrugged the question off easily enough, it didn't matter. 

"What the… fucking fucked up dream," the Vai groaned. They pressed a hand to their forehead and looked down with furrowed brows before twisting to look this way and that way. "…I'm _never_ buying pizza from that place again. I swear to god I always have fucked up dreams after… Even if it is right around the corner from work…" the Vai mumbled. "What am I some kinda weird elf thing?"

This Vai was… saying some very… strange things. Marco cleared his throat and spoke up. "Talking to yourself in the woods seems like a strange habit. But you seem a little lost. And… what's… what was that word? Peat- _what?_ " 

"Jesus shit _fuck!_ " the Vai swore in surprise, body jolting before the stranger turned towards him, hand pressed to their chest. "W-what are you a creeper or something!? Jesus shitting _Christ_. I almost had a fucking aneurysm!" 

Marco's brows raised in surprise at how the stranger jumped. He hadn't been _deliberately_ quiet in his approach. It _should_ have been easy enough to hear him. Still, the stranger kept saying… unusual things, tossing out words he'd never heard as though they should be commonplace and understood. Then again—his eyes glanced over the tail and the point of the ears—the Vai _were_ very reclusive, it was possible they had… customs he wasn't familiar with. 

The stranger hunched for a moment before straightening with folded arms again. "I was just _musing_ , it's not _that_ weird, by the way. Also it's _pizza_ , y'know… like the _food_." A pause as the Vai looked him over. "And m'not lost." 

"Oh. Right… Sure." Marco still had _no_ idea what a 'peat-za' was meant to be. But the tone it had been said in was sharp and so he let it slide. Food. Right. No food _he'd_ ever heard of, but sure. The protest about not being lost seemed weak but the stranger was eyeing him up none too subtly and Marco couldn't help but grin. Confused or not, the… woman—it had to be, right?—was cute enough for him to take it as a compliment. He tipped forward in a slight bow, eyes staying locked on the figure across from him. "I'm… sorry, miss. I didn't mean to offend or startle you. Just offering to help." 

"I dun _need_ help!" the stranger blurted, cheeks darkening. 

The confused look on the stranger's face and the way she immediately blushed and looked down at herself as if puzzled had Marco blinking slightly in confusion. But he quickly decided that she must just not be used to formal titles. …Unless she was older than she looked and ma'am would have been more appropriate? Marco looked more closely. No, definitely around his age. Definitely. And definitely very cute. Must have been the title. 

And lost. Very lost. That was obvious when the stranger blurted out that she didn't need any help and stalked off _deeper_ into the forest and _farther_ from the path, in a direction that Marco _knew_ to be dangerous and hazard-filled. She didn't even look like she was armed. Marco debated on whether to point that out, opening and closing his mouth a few times. Instead he just sighed. He knew he should just continue on his way. The stranger's plight wasn't his problem, after all. Not even remotely. 

Marco had no obligation to provide any help, _particularly_ after that rude snub, and he knew that. But something about the feisty nature, the pride, the way the stranger had just stalked off with _no_ idea where they were going rather than ask for the tiniest bit of help… it entertained him. 

Marco found himself following silently, this time _trying_ to remain undetected, unlike the last. He'd just… follow along at a distance until the Vai inevitably got into trouble and then he'd see what the stranger was made of. If the stranger somehow could handle things—which he entirely doubted—then Marco would continue on his way without a word. If not… he'd intervene, set the stubborn girl back _on_ the right path, and _then_ continue on his way. And if he happened to hope that his way and her way might coincide for a while… well, that was just because it might be nice to have some company. 

Marco trailed along a decent distance behind. He could intervene if anything serious happened but there was no risk of the stranger seeing him. The stranger tripped, stumbling and staggering a few steps forward before continuing on. But then the Vai tripped _again._ Once he saw the first trip and then the second so closely after, Marco knew what was coming. A nuisance of a carnivorous plant, dangerous if not taken care of swiftly, but not outright deadly. At least, not as long as you got out of its clutches quick enough. 

And sure enough, Marco watched as the stranger hit the ground with a curse. The absolute _inelegance_ of it was surprising, from what Marco knew about her kind's reputation. They were _supposed_ to be graceful. Deathly so, in fact. But he chalked it up to the perils of being lost and disoriented. 

" _F-uhk!_ " the stranger cursed. "Oh you gotta be fuckin' kidding me! … Shit I need to stop watching anime this is the weirdest dream ever." The Vai thrashed, yanking and twisting, but the vines had little give and wouldn't be deterred, clenching tighter and oozing their thick red secretions over anything they could reach. 

Marco caught up easily, watching as the plant wrapped the cursing and spitting Vai up in its clutches. "Still don't need any help…?" Marco's tone might have been a bit _smug_ as he quirked a brow, one hand moving to draw his blade. 

The Vai startled, gaping for a moment before glaring, nose bleeding down across their lips and chin. "As if I need help! You weird ass stalker!"

"Well… have fun being digested…" Marco shrugged then. But he didn't leave. Not yet. It was obvious the stranger was just too damn _prideful_ . …Although Marco could have been a bit less smug. He watched as the plants started to do their work—apparently she'd managed to stumble into not one but _two_ of them—wrapping around farther. The _positioning_ was nothing short of suggestive and Marco felt like a bit of a pervert for just standing there staring. Particularly when one of the vines seemed like it was going to creep down into— 

Marco choked on his own throat and looked away. That was definitely intruding. No, he had to do something _now_. He drew his blade almost at the same moment as he heard the Vai's voice again.

"W-Wait! I'm S-sorry! Shit _fuck_ get this shit offa me please!" 

With a few quick movements and a few rather sickening _squelching_ sounds, the plants flopped limply to the ground and Marco more carefully hacked off the vines closer to the stranger so that the Vai would be free of their grasp. With a grimace, he wiped the goo off the blade and sheathed it before he offered out a hand, gesturing with his other. "There's a stream over this way you can get that washed off before it starts to eat through your skin." 

The Vai leapt up all but dashed in the direction Marco indicated, startling Marco back half a step. He watched as she dashed off in the right direction but at _far_ too fast a speed before snorting at the sudden _splash_. 

"What the fuck… _what the fuck_ ," the Vai kept repeating the words, kneeling fully clothed in the water and scrubbing off the slime. 

Marco followed along at a more reasonable pace, watching the frantic scrubbing. The string of curses was entertaining, at least. Still, he felt a bit bad for not intervening sooner when he saw the slight irritation and redness of the stranger's skin. 

Then again Marco _had_ been told in no uncertain terms how much the other figure _very much_ did _not_ need his help. And yet he'd followed along anyway. So really he'd gone beyond what casual courtesy dictated he _need_ do. 

"You _could_ say thank you, you know. For the whole _saving your life_ thing…" Marco frowned. "You're _really_ not from around here are you…? What was it, were you taken by traders and escaped or something? Is that why you have no idea what you're doing?" Marco started to piece together a possible scenario. The stranger's kind _was_ very valuable to those who dealt in trading living people, as far as he knew. Even one as grumpy, wiry, and not feminine as this person seemed to be. 

"Thanks," the Vai said flatly, arms falling limp as the stranger stared into the water. "I… I don't… think I am, no." The figure still didn't stand, the water lapping at their form. 

No, this stranger definitely couldn't be from around here, Marco decided. And she seemed _incredibly_ conflicted. He took in the outfit, the body language, and it seemed like the stranger was on the edge of losing it entirely. The thanks was obviously flat but that was no longer his first concern. Not when his words were confirmed, anyway. 

Arms wrapping around their midsection, the Vai hunched forward slightly, shoulders trembling. "Is this… real?" the words sounded on the edge of tears. 

Marco carefully picked his way through the shallowest parts of the water, offering a hand to help the stranger stand again. "Come on… You should probably sit down. You'll catch a chill if you stay in the water too long. And you seem… like you're having a difficult enough time as it is." Marco hesitated. "Can I ask… why wouldn't this be real? Where… where are you from? Is… there somewhere I can help you find so you can get on your way? Where are you going?" 

The Vai watched Marco for a moment before reaching up finally, taking the hand and moving to stand on wobbly legs, tail flicking at the water as the Vai watched it as if they had never seen it before. 

Marco couldn't help a slight smile when he felt the warmth of the stranger's hand in his own, glad to have been taken up on his offer. Leaving someone confused and alone in the forest just… wasn't right. He frowned at the careful swishing before leading them towards the water's edge. 

"I… this is…" the Vai struggled to find the words, climbing out of the small stream. "America… I'm from America… but… I have a feeling that doesn't even exist here…" 

The answer as to where the stranger was from meant nothing to Marco. But the words _after_ it had him frowning in confusion. What did he mean it _didn't exist here?_ "Sorry I've… never heard of that place, no…" 

Safely on the bank again, Marco squeezed out what water he could from his own clothes as he continued, "I'm just… a little confused as to what you mean doesn't exist here…" 

The Vai sniffled and sniffed again then brought a gloved hand up to their still bleeding nostrils, catching the blood as it stained the fabric. "I think… I think I died…" Those words were the straw that had tears beginning to overflow down the stranger's cheeks. 

_Died?_ And oh now this figure was _crying_ too, "Hey… Hey it's okay…" Marco reached out tentatively, setting a hand on the stranger's shoulder. "You can't have _died,_ okay? I don't know what happened to you but you're here. You're right here. I know _I'm_ not dead and you're here as me so you're not a _ghost_ or something. You're just… disoriented." He moved to catch the stranger's other wrist, pressing his forefingers just where the gloves ended and feeling the pulse there. "See? Heartbeat. Not dead." 

The stranger frowned. "I definitely died," the Vai reaffirmed, tears falling faster. "I… T-think of the biggest fastest thing you c-can and… imagine being hit full force head on with it right to your face. Ngh… I… this… body isn't even right." A pause. "F-fuck. _Shit_. Ignore that. Just… I feel awful." 

The slight jolt made Marco just feel even worse for the stranger and he nearly jerked his hand away. But she was crying and entirely _convinced_ that she'd died. And that was… _unsettling_ . But… what in the world did 'this body isn't right' mean? And the words that were unfamiliar. And places that were unfamiliar. And the _tone_ with which it was all said _sounded_ entirely _earnest_ , even if it did also sound entirely… impossible and out of place. So obviously this stranger was convinced of what she was saying. 

Marco frowned, shaking his head. "No… no, go on. Please… What do you mean? You got hit with something? And… now… your body isn't right… What does that mean? Does… this have to do with how you were staring at your tail before? After you screamed?" He'd assumed when the stranger was alone that it had been some sort or nightmare that had caused the scream. "Sorry… I'm being rude uhm… My name is Marco. Miss…?" he asked. 

"I'm… I'm not crazy… ok?" the Vai asked, seeming shaky. "I'm… I'm not from this world."

"I never said you were," Marco answered, shaking his head with a purse of his lips. He definitely thought the stranger was confused and likely disoriented. But… was it possible for someone to be from another _world_ entirely? He'd seen some powerful magic before but… that seemed on an entirely different level. And the implication that there _were_ other worlds… It made Marco's head spin.

"F-firstly… I— I'm— I mean I _was_ a g-guy so… I mean ' _miss_ ' is a bit… I'm a _dude…_ " The Vai looked entirely uncomfortable. "My name is Jean. _Jheaun,_ " he repeated his name a little more slowly. 

Marco felt heat flood his cheeks, nodding and processing the information quickly as the other gave his name. Male. A male Val. That was… _incredibly_ rare. "Oh. S-sorry. I didn't… uhm… sorry? Jean, then," he repeated the name easily with a frown at the way the stranger had repeated it so emphatically. "So you were… injured?" 

"I was hit by a _train_ . It's… _fuck_ … d-do you have like… horses? Yes? No? Ngh… shit. Like… okay, a train is a huge thing people travel in. It's about three times your height and… two times as wide as your arm span? And… as long as from here to that tree? It's _huge_ . And that's just one _piece_ . They link together so you could have ten latched together and have a thousand people travelling in its belly. And it moves _fast_ , like… faster than anyone could, even on a horse. Like… a giant… metal monster that speeds along a special track." 

Listening to Jean's explanation just made Marco more confused. A giant thing the height of two men that a thousand people could travel inside of at high speeds? It sounded… like an interesting concept at the very least. But Jean had experienced… an attack by one of these living metal beasts. Somehow.

"I got smashed into head on by one of those. I _died_ . T-there's… there's no way… it's impossible to live… I… Oh _god…_ " The words brought him back to his panicked state he fell to kneel on the floor, looking at his lap and his trembling hands. "A— and then as soon as it h-happened I woke up here and I was sure… _so_ sure I'd be in pain b— but I wasn't… but I have a _tail_ and…" 

Marco knelt carefully next to him, moving a hand to Jean's shoulder. "Alright. So let me get this straight…" Marco thought over the situation. "You feel you _should_ have died but you _haven't_ died. But… you're not where you _were_ either. And… you don't _look_ like you did when you were there, wherever it is you came from? Does… that sound about right?" Marco asked, trying to sum it up. 

"I look… I don't know _what_ I look like," Jean insisted. "My chest feels the same… my hands and arms and legs _look_ the same… But tails aren't a thing that people _have_ where I'm from… And my ears feel weird and I don't know what the fuck even— I… _ngh,_ " he groaned, trailing off. 

Marco gnawed thoughtfully at his lip for a moment. "Do you… I'm going to assume this kind of thing doesn't happen often in… wherever it is that you said you're from." He couldn't remember the place Jean had said. Merry-something? "What was the last thing you remember _before_ the uhm… ' _train_ ' hit you? Is— I mean _obviously_ you must have _done_ something or _had_ something on you to get… transported? A spell or a talisman or _something?_ " It was the only explanation Marco could think of. Avoiding certain death and some sort of teleportation… It had to be magic. Some… very terrifyingly _strong_ sort of magic. He decided he needed to be more wary of this stranger, no matter how harmless— _or cute_ —he seemed. 

"I… " Jean frowned, considering. "At the edge of the platform I was standing on I found this… thing. Like…" Jean made vague hand gestures that _really_ didn't help. "Like… a bracelet thing? It looked like a snake all coiled up, had these gems in it and I think it was made of like… gold? I picked it up and slipped it on before I fell and then… I… the train hit me…" Jean ducked his head, shrugging dejectedly. "But… Where I'm from this sort of thing isn't _real_ . It's just _not_ . It's in kids stories, it's make believe, we call it _fiction_ . Magic too. It's just _not real_." Jean brought his thumb to his mouth and started to chew on the skin around the nail. 

Marco wanted to quirk a brow at the way Jean seemed to frown at the mention of magic as if it were some _impossibility_. He nodded along, gathering that whatever world Jean was from—if he was willing to accept that possibility—was a world very… different than the world he knew. 

Focus. 

Jean had mentioned some sort of bracelet and Marco gnawed at his lip again, moving to scratch at the side of his nose. Magic… not real. Was this guy for real? Marco couldn't imagine a world like that. "Well… it seems this bracelet of yours is some sort of talisman. Or… was? I'm going to guess you _don't_ still have it?" A magic like that would likely burn through the object it was imbued into. At least… from his understanding based on the magical objects he'd seen that had specified their ability to only be used once. 

Jean shook his head when he was asked if he still had the bracelet thing. "I dunno where it went, maybe I dropped it where I woke up but maybe it's gone?" He sighed and shrugged his shoulders with a soft sound of disappointment. "You don't know what's happening, do you?" 

Marco shook his head. "I'm afraid I don't know enough about that kind of magic to be of much help figuring out _how_ it happened. But… the bracelet was probably spent and burnt up in the spell," Marco explained, trying to keep his tone sympathetic. He knew Jean would feel better if he _had_ the object as some sort of 'proof' of his story. "I can assure you that magic is _entirely_ real here. Your race, the Vai, are… rather prized for their magical abilities, reclusive as they are. And I didn't… well I honestly didn't even know for sure that your kind even _had_ males."

"I-I'm a _human_ !" Jean blurted, voice breaking. "S-sorry… I'm sorry… fuck, I'm so goddamn confused." He was trembling harder again. "Magic just… I can't even imagine _real_ magic, so you're saying some… magic bracelet saved my life but sent me _here?_ I don't even know that magic _exists._ "

Debating with himself for a moment, Marco sighed. He made a quick movement of his hand, the grass around them suddenly charmed with an illusion of being coated in a layer of fresh snow for a few moments before fading back to normal. He wanted to emphasise his point but he didn't want to waste _too_ much energy. Not around someone who was such a relative unknown. 

Marco's little show of illusion magic had Jean's eyes widening almost comically. The Vai—or… human?—rubbed at his eyes before reaching to touch the grass. He shook his head and grit his teeth, pressing his lips together in a thin line as he paled visibly. "Okay. So… magic is real. And so are weird pervy killer plants. And tails. And… Oh god wh-what am I gonna do… oh fuck… _oh shit_ what am I gonna _do_ …" Jean sobbed again, pressing his hands to his eyes as he began to cry once more.

Marco scooted slightly closer, his knees nudging against the side of the other's leg. He did his best to make a soothing gesture with his hand on Jean's shoulder. "Please… Don't cry. Okay? Don't cry. It's going to be fine. I think we can agree that… whatever you were… you aren't now. But… I'm sure if you go to the Sages in the Great Libraries, they'll know how to get you home, or at least what happened to you that got you here. So… you've got some starting over to do until if and when you can figure out whether you can get back to where you came from, right? That's… I mean that's not the _worst_ thing, right?" 

Right, being suddenly transported to somewhere you'd never been where things were so completely different wasn't the 'worst thing', sure. Having your entire world turned upside down was _entirely_ fine. The words sounded empty even to his own ears. Marco wanted to smack himself; he was probably just making it worse. He had to be making it worse. He had to… what? To give Jean something to cling to. But… what could he offer him?

The man under his touch trembled, letting out a noise that was almost a _moan_. "I… ngh… p-please stop… Rubbing my shoulder… I really appreciate it but… that stuff made my skin feel weird a— and sensitive and it's… I mean… it's making me feel… weird." Jean shuddered. 

"Sorry!" Marco stopped immediately with an apology, yanking his hand back and setting both of them in his lap. His cheeks burned. "Sorry… I didn't… Sorry." Fuck. His dick had _definitely_ twitched over that.

Jean shook his head, deflating. "I just… I can't just… Start over? How… how can I survive here? I mean… I can't do _anything_ useful. Where _are_ these Libraries? I've never hunted… I mean do we have to hunt for food or what? Are there markets to buy food instead? What do people use for money here? Is there money? Or do I have to trade chickens for a cow? My mom would go out to work and get money and went shopping and I never had to… do… _any_ of that. But I feel like that isn't how shit works here. And I can't really fight, and this body feels weird and off balance to me. And— Oh god my _mom_ ." Jean pressed a hand over his mouth and gagged. "Oh _god…_ " he repeated, dry heaving again. "I don't wanna die alone…" he sobbed.

Marco realized just how out of his _depth_ Jean was as he rambled on about all the things he _didn't_ know how to do and— _Oh_ … His family… Marco didn't know what would have happened to Jean's presence in that other world he came from. In that moment, Marco made a decision. 

"You can… you could come with me? At least until you figure things out? Or… as long as you need, okay?" Marco offered a slight smile, tilting his head to the side. "I need to head in the direction of the Great Libraries anyway." Alright, so… that wasn't _strictly_ true. In fact… the direction Marco needed to go was _entirely_ the other way, but… Marco couldn't just let him _die_ out here. 

"I—" Jean looked up at Marco as if he were a symbol of hope. "I can come with you?" he asked, awestruck. 

Oh… no. Jean was… much too cute when he looked up at him like that. Jean was a cute, lost, slightly hopeless stranger and Marco was _already_ fond of him. Gods… This wasn't good. 

Marco nodded. "Just as long as you at least _try_ to keep up. And don't think me too strange for not knowing some of your customs or… foods or whatever else. …Does that sound fair?"

"Thank… you…" Jean said haltingly. "I'll do my best. And… I'm pretty sure I'm the one that needs to apologise about customs… It's… not like anything of mine exists here… probably."

Marco laughed slightly at that, nodding. As strange as Jean's world might seem to him he was sure his seemed equally strange, if not moreso. "Fair enough. Then it looks like we'll both just have to be patient with each other, hmm?" Marco winked. 

"I— y— yeah," Jean stammered out, blushing. "O-okay. I'll come with you. At least until this… Library place." 

Marco grinned, biting his lip. This was going to be interesting. "It's settled then. We're traveling companions."

**Author's Note:**

> As always, comments and kudos are treasured and appreciated. Like I said in the notes up top, I might wind up continuing this universe so feel free to slap a sub on this if you want to see more! If you like what you've seen here, I humbly encourage you to check out my other work and maybe nudge that author subscription button!
> 
> If you want to know more about me or my works, you can find me on [tumblr](http://hedonistink.tumblr.com/), [twitter](http://twitter.com/hedonistink), or [pillowfort](https://www.pillowfort.social/HedonistInk)!


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